Kaizen Challenge Step 1: Plan

So there’s a common theme on social media and blogs right now, which most people are calling “new year’s resolutions”. But the thing is, we should actually call them what they are: goals. Everyone is setting goals, and there are a ton of blogs running challenges (including mine, of course) to help people meet these goals. I’ve been tempted to join some most of these challenges, but I am resisting. I now realize I suffer from Over-Achiever Syndrome: the over-burdening of myself with goals and changes, which backfires to the point where I not only give up, but undo all the good work I’ve done, leaving me in the same spot as I started (except more frustrated). As someone with OAS, I know I need to take it slow. As the Wise Man says, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”. I need to find a way to make my actions match my intentions for the long term.
So instead of a traditional challenge, I set up something a little different. The details are here, What is Kaizen? and I hope you will join me since this is a never-ending challenge. The first step is:

Make your plan. You’ll have your long-term, too-big-to-manage goal. Then you’ll break it into little pieces and order them so you know where to start. Make a timeline for the goals, so that you know how frequently you will check in with yourself.

Well. I know my goal. I want to lose weight – a ton of it. I want to get back down to 160 pounds, which I haven’t seen in about 7 years. Currently I am at 210 pounds, which means I want to lose 70 pounds of fat. I am hoping that at 5 feet 7 inches, this weight will put me at a size 8/9. I’m currently a 14/15, so it’s not unreasonable to think so. I even know exactly what lifestyle I need to live to make this happen. I’ve managed to lose weight down to 195, a couple times, but each time my OAS has kicked in and I’ve rebounded right back to 210. I am still lighter than I was when I started this journey years ago (my highest weight was 227) but I want to get DOWN, dang it!

So if I want to lose weight (and get healthier, obviously) and I know what to do, why aren’t I just doing it? Because it is A LOT to change, that’s why. My willpower peters out after a while. I’ve already tried a bunch of times, and as another wise man says (this time Albert Einstein) “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” I’m not crazy, so it’s time to try it a little differently. And so, here comes my plan. (At this point, if you are participating with me, you should either decide my plan matches your needs, or create a plan of your own.)

Step

Plan of Attack

Timeline

0.5

Sleep until 9 am on weekends and days off (for healing adrenal issues) and get at least 8 hours of sleep whenever possible.

January 1 – ongoing

1

Go mostly gluten-free. Don’t agonize over the minute amounts hidden in things like soup just yet, but stop eating all bread, pasta, and other “obvious” sources of gluten and consciously use alternate ingredients when cooking at home.

January 1- ongoing

1.5

Start walking for at least 15 minutes 5 days a week.

January 1 – 15th

2

Finish the gluten-free process by checking for ingredients on everything and making sure to avoid ALL gluten. Start avoiding ALL grains except rice.

January 15- ongoing

2.5

Increase daily walking to 30 minutes each day. Start a strength training program 3 days a week.

January 15 – ongoing

3

Eat a protein and at least 2 vegetables at each meal.

February 1 – 14

4

Track all food in a program such as FitDay. Use this tracking to reduce carb intake to a level where weight loss is maximized.

February 15 – ongoing

5

Reduce the amount of starchy foods such as potatoes, rice and certain squashes to 3 times a week at most.

March 1 – ongoing

6

Make and follow a meal plan so I can cook foods for work in advance, so that every day each meal at work is home-cooked.

March 15 – ongoing

7

Completely eliminate added sugars from foods, with the exception of small amounts of honey and dark chocolate 1 time per week.

April 1 – ongoing

7.5

Do some high-intensity sprints or other form of cardio once per week.

April 1 – ongoing

8

Reduce dairy intake to 6 ounces a day (excluding butter and heavy cream).

April 15 – ongoing

9

Experiment with intermittent fasting if adrenal issues are repaired

May 1 – ongoing

So now it’s time for me to do the second step: implementing my first baby step. I will be staying as gluten free as possible, so I’m going to be eating at home a little more. It’s time for me to go cook some meals for work on Monday. I’ve got beef jerky drying as we speak (which will be posted as soon as it’s done processing, of course!)